Pakistan Under 19 captain Farhan Yousuf sees the upcoming tri-series with Zimbabwe and Afghanistan as a preparation opportunity for the team ahead of the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup, which starts in January in Namibia and Zimbabwe.
The Green Shirts, who won the ACC Men’s U19 Asian Cup earlier this month by defeating arch-rivals India in a blockbuster final, held their first training session here at the Harare Sports Club where they will begin their tri-series campaign against Afghanistan on Saturday.
Speaking to PCB Digital, the Pakistan captain shared that the national players are confident and excited for the upcoming challenge after a monumental glory in the recently concluded continental tournament.
He further emphasized the importance of the three series to help his team acclimatise to the conditions here as they will play all their U19 World Cup group stage matches in the same city.
“The Asia Cup was a good win for us and the players showed great morale and intensity. The players are confident and excited as we move into the tri-series,” Farhan told PCB Digital.
“The tri-series is very important for the players and will help us find the right combinations ahead of the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup. The conditions here are similar and will be beneficial for our preparation for the World Cup,” he added.
The middle-order batsman also hailed Afghanistan and Zimbabwe as “strong and competitive” sides, stressing their mantra of respecting their opposition.
“Both teams in the tournament are strong and competitive and we respect each opponent as we look forward to a competitive event.”
After opening their campaign against Afghanistan on Saturday, Pakistan will face Zimbabwe at Prince Edward School on December 29, while the remaining two matches against Afghanistan and the hosts are scheduled for January 2 and 4, respectively.
The top two teams in the standings after the league stage will qualify for the final, scheduled to be played at the Old Hararians Sports Club on January 6.
Pakistan’s squad for the tri-series and the U19 World Cup
Farhan Yousaf (c), Usman Khan (vc), Abdul Subhan, Ahmed Hussain, Ali Hasan Baloch, Ali Raza, Daniyal Ali Khan, Hamza Zahoor (ed), Huzaifa Ahsan, Momin Qamar, Mohammad Sayyam, Mohammad Shayan (wk), Niqab Shafiq, Sameer Minhas and Umar Zaib.
Reserves for non-travel: Abdul Qadir, Farhanullah, Hassan Khan, Ibtisam Azhar and Mohammad Huzaifa.
a href=”https://www.geo.tv/latest/641688-farhan”>Source link
